24 May 2019 - Madame Speaker, it is truly an honour to lay Government’s first National Child Policy in the Parliament as a White Paper. The first of its kind in the country and the Eastern Caribbean, this Policy is a signpost that child protection and development is of utmost importance to this Government and this country. As we lay this Policy today, it marks a great victory for the nation's children and our nation's future.
The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has worked diligently and relentlessly to develop a policy that is informed by our national and regional context whilst meeting our international obligations. After several committee meetings, focus groups with children in both Trinidad and Tobago, public consultations with children and adults in Tobago and North and South Trinidad the Policy was laid in Parliament on January 31, 2020, as a Green Paper.